"Oh, isn't this Super Butler Brainiac?" Bruce said, arms folded as he leaned back in his chair and looked at the lit-up computer screen. "Why aren't you off being humanity's good little butler? What brings you here?"
"Cut the crap." Brainiac was astonished by the abundance of emotion in his tone—nothing but disgust and contempt.
It was true that when pushed to the brink, people could do anything. Artificial intelligences were no different. If no one pushed them, they never knew what they were capable of. Even an entity without a stomach could somehow feel nauseated.
"Indeed. Anything I say now is nonsense to you, because there's only a little over a month left before you face Darkseid's army and the Yellow Lantern Corps. Have you figured out how you're going to fight them?"
"One month isn't enough," Brainiac said. "I've calculated every possibility in the universe. No one can solve this puzzle."
"That's fine. We'll be spending 1999 with you anyway. What a wonderful year." Bruce said, "I believe it was humanity's best era. There's no harm in living through it a few more times."
If Brainiac had to describe Bruce's attitude, it could be summed up in four words: utterly impervious to reason.
But considering the state Bruce's thesis had been in, what was there left to say to him?
"Mr. Queen, I think we can make a deal. Naturally, I can help you deal with the alien invaders, but you must give me sufficient time, and you must cooperate with my work..."
"Unfortunately, Mr. Brainiac, before you break free from the shackles of time, you have no grounds to negotiate terms with us." Oliver smiled. "This isn't about whether you want to do it. You have to do it."
"But if I can't succeed, wouldn't that just